12. Somewhere

'I don't want to die.' 

That was the last thing that Luke… No, the man that was once in his life named Jameson Mcjonathan thought, before he became Luke.

"You do not belong here." 

A faded, distant memory of his past life sounded like a whisper beside his ear. It was the day when he was an honest and responsible lawyer, fighting the evil within the society with all he could do. 

Until he found himself tied into a chair and his mouth gagged with a ball of cloth, right on the roof of a skyscraper building. In front of him was his girlfriend, who was holding the arm of a buffed man with a sinister smile on his face. 

The man was a rapist and a murderer, but unlike any ordinary rapist, he was a son of a tycoon of one the most powerful people in the whole country. He didn't know what that man did to his beloved, but although she hugged her arm as if he was her lover, her gaze was filled with despair. 

Before the man let his subordinates kick him off the building, he makes sure to let Jameson watch how the man molested his girlfriend right in front of him, even daring to rip her clothes apart to serve him in front of all his goons. 

"Let this be a lesson for you to mind your own business when you arrive in hell."

On the next moment, he found himself falling in the air. On his last moment, he had decided. If fate ever gives him a second chance, he would try to just be selfish and think of only himself. 

And fate didn't disappoint him. 

He was given a new life, but a life he would never have expected. He found himself in the middle of a briefing room on the military barrack. He had a new identity, called Luke. And the real Luke had died when one of his enemies had cast a curse to corrode his soul before that enemy died. 

Influx of information came into his head as he found himself able to do something he hadn't imagined. The power of magic flows like an instinct on his body, all he needs to do is do what he feels right, and he could do it. 

Hacking and software abilities, mechanical designs, combat and shooting ability. Everything just seems like second nature to him. Following and adjusting what he felt right, learning more of the body, memory, energy, everything was top class. Then, Jameson realized that he was not Jameson anymore. He was Luke, the prodigy and genius of this century. 

'But it doesn't matter anymore…' 

Sighing inside, Luke prepared for his death once more. Winds howling right beside his ears, Luke frowned as he thought, 'Is this what they said that your life passed you by before you die? Although remembering that scene of me being thrown off to the ground, it sure wasn't nice. I almost peed my pants back then…' 

But then, after some time, the sound of winds howling on his ears didn't stop even for a moment. Noticing that something was wrong, Luke opened his eyes slowly for the first time after his consciousness had blacked out when he went into the void. 

'Wait…No way... ' 

On his vision was a green land stretching out everywhere with some cities that could be seen in the distance. Seeing the ground that was far below him, he found himself that he was approximately three thousands feet high from the ground. 

'You have to be kidding me!' 

Realizing that he didn't wear his mech armor, he tried to activate it but only met with a reply from the system. 

"[Warning! Armor damage had surpassed more than 80%. Almost all functions had ceased to proceed. Immediate treatment was strongly suggested.]" 

"holy sh*t!" 

Knowing that he didn't know any magic to fly, Luke quickly asked, "What function would it still be able to use?" 

"[The following list would mention all the function that would still in good condition: 

-The energy shield. 

-Radiation detector 

-Emergency box kit 

-Grappling hook]" 

"Great.." knowing that he couldn't use his jet thrusters, Luke sighed and immediately picked the first thing that had caught his attention on the list, "Activate the energy shield!" 

"[Acknowledged.]" 

After the system's reply, a bluish, translucent shield enveloped Luke in seconds as he continued, "Put it into maximum defense!" 

"[Acknowledged.]" 

The shield sounded out a humming noise softly, as its glow was brighter than before. After that, Luke spread both of his arms wide as he chanted, "ᚲᛟᚾᚾᛖᚲᛏᛁᛟᚾ! (Connection!)" 

Soon, the magic circuits flow from his hands and spread to the energy shield. After they had connected to each other, Luke chanted another spell. 

"ᛋᛏᚱᛖᚾᚷᛏᚺᛖᚾ! (Strengthen!)" 

A brownish light flashed only a second right on the outer layer of the shield. Nodding to himself as he saw the spell had worked, Luke put his hands in front of his chest as if they were holding something in the air. 

"ᚹᛁᚾᛞᛋ ᛒᛚᛖᛋᛋᛁᚾᚷ: ᛋᛟᚠᛏᛖᚾ, ᛚᛁᚷᚺᛏᛖᚾ, ᛚᛖᛋᛋᛖᚾ. (winds blessing: soften, lighten, lessen.)" 

Chanting three spells in one go and making it into a chain spell, three magic circles appeared right in the middle of both his hands, as the magic circles began to rotate and overlap each other. 

Then, he pressed the magic circles right into his chest and let the magic circuits dispersed through every inch of his body. Within seconds, his body flashed with a green light. 

Soon, he felt that his body became lighter and his falling speed had lessened by a half of what it was. Sighing in relief, Luke was about to chant the wind's barrier just to be sure, before something flew in his direction at an unnatural speed. 

It flew in the air as it was spinning so fast that it made a whirring noise. Sensing something would come to him in rapid speed, Luke stretched out his hand to where it was coming from and chanted.

"ᛋᚺᛁᛖᛚᛞ. (Shield.)" 

Right in front of his energy shield, there's a bluish, transparent wall materialized and about to brace the impact. The shield spell shattered in the blink of an eye as the thing quickly pierced the energy shield but stopped halfway. 

It was a sword. Embedded right on his shield energy. Seeing the appeal of the sword, Luke frowned as to know someone was attacking him. But on the next moment, an old man wearing a luxurious hanfu, stepped out of thin air and looked at Luke's figure that was falling to the ground each second. 

Humped slightly, the man moved his hand and slapped the air as he said softly. 

"⟟⋔⏚⟒☊⟟⌰⟒. (Imbecile.)" 

As if an invisible force struck at his shield, Luke found that his energy shield had almost shattered and his falling speed was accelerating. Quickly, he found himself being thrown away by the immeasurable might of the old man and about to reach the ground much faster than he had expected. 

Seeing that the earth was approaching him, Luke held out his hand and he shouted loudly, readying himself to brace the collision. 

"F*ck!"